As the third week of training dawned, a cold wind swept through the military base. Leah could feel the accumulated exhaustion in her limbs as she tightened the laces of her boots. Two weeks of grueling physical workouts had pushed every trainee to their limit. Even the battle troops, with their unyielding stamina, were beginning to show signs of fatigue.
Yet every morning, Leah woke to find a small packet of medicine placed neatly on the bedside table of her bunk. A silent message from Sath telling her that he was watching over her. It was probably that medicine which kept her going day after day.
Leah joined the other trainees in the courtyard, where Captain Kade stood tall, holding a vivid purple flower in his hand.
“This,” Kade began, holding the flower aloft for all to see, “is the
